Smashing the stigma around disabilities.

Talk to nearly any successful leader or renowned thinker in the world and they'll tell you this: You find out who you are in the face of adversity. For me, this means learning to grapple with a genetic skin condition on the daily. For others, it could mean overcoming an inner struggle like an eating disorder or anxiety — or perhaps it's how you react to a tragic life event you didn't see coming, like losing a loved one way too soon.

For Steph Aiello, though, adversity takes on a whole new meaning. As a quadriplegic who survived cancer, not to mention two debilitating car accidents within mere months of each other, she wasn't just hit with adversity — she was steamrolled by it. But that's precisely what makes her story so incredible. At 26-years-old, Steph is a professional makeup artist with nearly 100 thousand followers on Instagram, an ambassador for Wings For Life World Run — a charity dedicated to finding a cure for spinal injuries — and is singlehandedly proving that disabilities don't have to keep you from following your dreams. In fact, they can be the driving force behind them.

After miraculously surviving two car accidents in two months, and then cancer two years later, Steph found herself in a state of depression and disheartenment — as would anyone under such circumstances — but she didn't let that stop her for long. Despite having to delay going to cosmetology school due to physical therapy and then radiation, Steph found her way back to her passion. "I thought I'd just never be able to do it again, but then my occupational therapist, I was crying one day about my life, and she came in with all this makeup stuff and brushes and she said, 'we're figuring this out.'" If you compared Steph's life to a movie, this would be what they call "the turning point."

That was all it took for Steph to get her momentum back — to realize that she could, in fact, overcome these challenges and find her strength to keep going after her goals. And that's exactly what she did. After practicing and learning as much as she could, Steph decided to take a chance and start an Instagram account to show off her makeup skills — but instead of sharing her disability with her followers right off the bat, she instead chose to hide her hand function and make the account solely about her work. It didn't take long before she started amassing tons of followers, which isn't the least bit surprising considering her obvious talent (a quick perusal of her 'gram and you'll be mesmerized, too.)

Then, something amazing (and so well-deserved) happened. One of Steph's friends landed her a spot at Beauty Con, a massive convention for beauty bloggers, makeup artists, and brands to come together and share their common love for the industry. It was at Beauty Con that Steph met Tyra Banks, who ended up flying her out to Las Vegas for her own Tyra Beauty convention. She spoke about Steph on stage in front of the crowd, stating that her hands would become her brand. And so they did. "From that day forward, I started posting videos on my Instagram page about my hand function and I kind of blossomed from there," said Steph. "It really helped me — I don't know where I would be without that."

With an-already amazing career underway and a perennially positive attitude, it's clear that Steph has mastered the making of lemonade in her life. Most recently, Steph has started doing makeup for other people, albeit she admits she does sometimes get nervous that people will judge her because of her hand function and how she works. That's far from the case with professional Red Bull surfer Carissa Moore, though, who met up with Steph for a very special makeup trial. Despite being one of the most touted woman surfers in the circuit, Carissa maintains a humble and constantly grateful demeanor, not to mention she's snagged several world titles and advocates for body positivity (our kind of girl.) This upcoming December, Carissa will marry her high school sweetheart, and she tapped none other than Steph to help her plan out her makeup for the big day. In a short video, the two chat about their stories and passions while Steph works her magic. The finished look is pure dreamy bride perfection: glowy and romantic — which Carissa says is exactly what she wanted. Both of their faces light up as Carissa gushes over the results, and TBH, we'd be lying if we said we didn't have to hold back tears during the incredibly heartwarming moment.

The moral of the story? Whether you have dreams of becoming a makeup artist, a pro surfer, or something entirely unrelated, don't let anything stop you from fighting to turn those dreams into reality. After all, if Steph can survive the unthinkable and still come out on top, so can all of us.

Now grab some tissues and watch the video below to see Steph give Carissa the most beautiful bridal makeup ever.